On the pallet the beer enters with a hint of sweet fruit upfront (peach, pear mostly), followed by lemon, some mild hops, and sweet grains. It has a floral aftertaste, similar to that of rose petals. Lots of pretty spider web lace left behind from the head, and good retention.

Reviews by MaxwellSchaefer:

App-A good and substantial head with a nice pale amber color settling underneath. The beer is crisp and clear and looks nice in a glass.

Smell- bright citrus notes hit you first and upon further examination subtle grain or malt characteristics break through. Hops are present but probably placed in early in the boiling process as they don't seem to shine so bright in the aroma. Also, there is something else I can't quite put my finger on but its appetizing even if I can't place it.

Taste-cereal grains with citrus notes (noteably lemons, especially in the aftertaste) and a floral after-taste. It's fairly simple drinking and the taste doesn't leave too much to ponder.

Mouth-There is a certain spicy characteristic that excites the palette but doesn't sing loudly on the taste buds. You would think it might be the carbonation but you know that can't be it (the beer doesn't appear super carbonated or bubbly). All in all it is rather quite light with little--yet present-- oily nature. The most intriguing thing about this beer overall would have to be that tasteless but spicey character on the palette.

Drink-I enjoyed this beer, and at $2.40 a can for a local-provincial beer I'm rather excited about it. I find that the greatest parts of this beer are better exemplified elsewhere in the local craft market but this one so far seems to be beating them on price and maybe even drinkability. It would probably impress at a beer pong tournament for the younger folk, your game partner would definitely be excited about it.

More User Reviews:

This beer pours a clear medium golden yellow colour, with two fingers of soapy, filmy white head, which leaves a sloped ring of lace around the glass. It smells of white cracker grain, and some mild general fruitiness. The taste is doughy, bready malt, with some floral essence, and a bit of acidic fruitiness - apple. The carbonation is moderate, the body nice and even and smooth, and it finishes off-dry, a small cloying sweetness seeping in.

Most blonde ales kind of (or really) underwhelm me. This is not one of them - a little one-sided, but a decently restrained dose of malt goodness.

Plastic bottle really. Neutral aroma, a tad malty. A little head. Pale blond colour. A malt storey, fine lightness, with a little local H- hop. Carbonation is there and its appropriate. Caramel. A little lace.Below average mouthfeel. Freshly made batch.

I picked up a bottle of this beer while browsing the Queen's Quay LCBO a few weeks ago. It's nice to see a beer from this relatively new entry onto the Ontario craft beer scene so quickly on LCBO shelves; in 50cl bottles no less!

Upon being poured into its pint glass it is revealed that this beer certainly lives up to its namesake. A fine clear honey coloured elixir greeted my eyes capped by a fine white head which quickly dissipated.

The nose was very fruity at first, whiffs of cut grass, green apple and grape permeated as well as scents of overripe fruit and wet leaves; perhaps a bit off. Notes of white bread and honey backed up the smell and thankfully subdued the overly fruity sensations.

The taste was more standard, biscuit malts with slight sweetness dominate giving an overall light bready taste. Some strange slightly off fruity notes most reminiscent of over ripe grapes popped up but faded as the beer warmed. Hop balance was good, giving a subtle bitterness in the finish which grew progressively stronger as did the sweet malt notes.This one goes down very easily with a minimal bite from the carbonation providing an interesting kick. I found the carbonation just right, providing a refreshing drink with slightly viscous body.

All in all a decent beer, unfortunately I think mine was a bit off so I will have to give it another go to see. Regardless it was still very nice and would surly make a good session on a hot summer day.

Can: Poured a bright golden color ale with a medium size white foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of unrefined cereal notes with lightly sweet notes. Taste is also a mix between some grainy cereal with light unrefined notes with a lightly sweet finish. Body is above average for style with good carbonation. Fairly middle of the road offering though the beer description is a bit over the top compared to the results.

A - Pale yellow with a lot of visible carbonation. Half a finger of white head formed with good retention

S - Very dull nose. Some bready malts with a touch of sweetness and a very light hop presence.

T - Sweet bready malts and light to moderate hopping for the style. Some floral notes present from the hops. The sweetness seems to grow with every sip. Not bad, but nothing that would make me come back.

Appearance – Clear yellow colour with a small size fizzy white coloured head. There is an average amount of carbonation showing and there is some fair lacing. The head lasted for 1 or 2 minutes.

Smell - Grains, bread, corn, grass

Taste & Mouth - The beer has an average amount of carbonation. I can taste malts mixed with grains, light hops, and an apple/corn syrup sweetness. It ends with a grainy and grassy aftertaste that is lightly bittersweet.

Overall – Nothing to write home about here. Just a notch above marco and the appearance of the beer left a lot to be desired. I wouldn't buy this beer again and I have yet to be impressed by anything from this brewer.

Can from the LCBO, no best by/canned on dating evident. 473ml into a stange.

Hazy golden orange with a foamy white head; light retention and some okay lacing. Nose is sweet, bready/biscuity, some faint hops. A bit sugary, some yeast character but something feels either off here or just plain old doesn't smell good. A bit stinky, for lack of a better term. Flavour has some pale malts, bread, grainy and some grassy hops. Again, a stinkiness or off-flavour that I can't pin down. Medium body, but has a peculiar thickness to it at points. Either this is an off can, or the brew just plain old blows. Drain pour.

Pours a clear, effervescent glowing golden hue with just over a finger of egg-white suddy head that reduces to a ring rather quickly but then stays in that state for quite awhile.

The nose is predominantly dry with notes of cracker, pepper, grains and some doughy malt but has a nice citrusy zest that backs it up with some faint tropical fruits that go with it, giving the beer a unique edge.

The taste is more faint than the nose would lead you to beleive. The dry crackery aspect is still there but comes at odds with a slightly watery mouthfeel. A subtle floral hop kick and citrus zest make their appearance more towards the back of the palate and those pleasant tropical fruit notes just graze the tongue before they are lost amidst the rest of the beer.

Mouthfeel is light bodied, smooth, and fluffy. A good weight for a low ABV. Nicely balanced, but a bit watery in the finish.

This beer has its time and its place and fits perfectly as s solid, decently flavourful summertime quaffer, but I'd take their IPA any day of the week. I'd say this is worth a shot, but I can think of a bunch of summertime quaffers off the top of my head that I'd prefer over this.

This is the first offering from this brand new southern Ontario brewery. From the growler, this ale pours a deep gold with a frothy white cap. The nose is quite hop forward and is complimented with floral notes, along with fruity malts (mango, peach), and leads into bread crust and caramel. The flavour profile is upfront with floral hops alongside caramel malts, and is complimented by fruity lemony sweetness. This is the perfect summer golden ale. I am glad it is only a 15 minute drive from my place to the brewery, as I will be visiting often. The finish in this is bitter and quenching. Great session beer. An excellent start! Right on AL and team!

Last reviewed July 24th of last year; that was a bottle and this is a tallboy can from the same LCBO. No best before date, but the fact that I have only recently seen this in cans at the store indicates it's probably pretty fresh.

Pours a bright, translucent golden-amber colour. Very effervescent. A little more than a finger of creamy white head sits on top, taking its time to gradually dissipate, over five minutes in fact. Good retention, better than the bottle. Doughy, sweet aroma, mostly malty. A bit muted.

Same malt-forward taste. Sweet biscuits and bread, with a twinge of nutty character. Floral hops provide a bit of balancing bitterness. Medium-thin body, maybe a bit watery, with low carbonation and a very creamy mouthfeel.

Final Grade: 3.58, a low B. A serviceable option for any blonde ale fan, but not something that is going to impress beer geeks. This is a solid blonde either way and I'm glad I got it again. Good easy drinker, not complex at all but a definite upgrade over macro blondes.

[Updated April 9 2014]

Another can, one of a pair of OCB blonde ales I grabbed for comparison purposes. Iron Spike Blonde is an unremarkable beer built for the warm weather - it's a nice, light, sessionable ale that remains well-balanced throughout, with a light brushing of floral, citrusy hops. My only problem with this beer is that I haven't been able to find a fresh can of the stuff in a while (this serving is technically two weeks past expiry, and is showing signs of age). The stuff I've gotten from the brewery has always been top-notch though.

473 ml can poured into a pint glass. can purchased from LCBO for $2.40 CDN.

Appearance - Effervescent, 1 finger of head is poured dissipating at only moderate pace, a bit surprising for a lower ABV beer. Creamy looking head over nice golden body. Transparent.

Smell - Light citrus from hops, bit of sweetness like cooked sugar, malts like vanilla, toffee and also an overripe fruit smell. Really surprised but the overripe fruits are a bit of a turn off for me. Otherwise extremely fragrant and good smelling beer.

Taste - Surprisingly bold malt flavors , coffee and vanilla in here which was totally unexpected for a blonde beer. Slightly bitter hops throughout. While the flavors are potent, to me it's a bit of a strange combination that doesn't quite come together to make this something I thoroughly enjoy. Unique though.

Mouthfeel - Smooth, rich body that maybe is almost to heavy and a bit syrupy, especially since I was expecting something lighter and crisper. In my mind it's slightly misguided and not terribly refreshing but nonetheless unique. Medium carbonation.

Overall - Definitely something new and different, but for me it just didn't quite come together. Not sure about the overripe fruits, if they weren't there the smell would be a major plus, since I haven't come across to many beers with 4-5% ABV with that big of a nose. I recommend trying one, since it's different and you may just love it.